The Miscellaneous PC & vidya Games Thread

[Tamas]

I want to design a game that is basically Eve Online, but without you actually driving spaceships around in any kind of first/third person view.

IE, your role is that same as someone in Eve who is playing the Eve game at the level above actually flying your ship itself.

So the focus of the game would be on dominating some area of space using your own ships that must be built (or bought from those who do build them), or engaging in mercantislism (building ships) or whatever.

So if you want to engage in some Eve analagous activity, like mining, you don't fly your ship there and do it, you send your ship(s) there to do it, and control them more like a board game.

Have your guys call my guys.

[frunk]

I want to design a game that is basically Eve Online, but without you actually driving spaceships around in any kind of first/third person view.

IE, your role is that same as someone in Eve who is playing the Eve game at the level above actually flying your ship itself.

So the focus of the game would be on dominating some area of space using your own ships that must be built (or bought from those who do build them), or engaging in mercantislism (building ships) or whatever.

So if you want to engage in some Eve analagous activity, like mining, you don't fly your ship there and do it, you send your ship(s) there to do it, and control them more like a board game.

The operational level of a Space 4X.

[crazy canuck]

I want to design a game that is basically Eve Online, but without you actually driving spaceships around in any kind of first/third person view.

IE, your role is that same as someone in Eve who is playing the Eve game at the level above actually flying your ship itself.

So the focus of the game would be on dominating some area of space using your own ships that must be built (or bought from those who do build them), or engaging in mercantislism (building ships) or whatever.

So if you want to engage in some Eve analagous activity, like mining, you don't fly your ship there and do it, you send your ship(s) there to do it, and control them more like a board game.

The operational level of a Space 4X.

That would be great!

[Syt]

Has anyone tried Starsector?

http://fractalsoftworks.com/

Current Features

Pilot your ship in top-down 2D combat
Command your fleet in tactical battles
Gain experience to level up your skills
Detailed space combat mechanics
Customize your ship's loadout before battle
Hire officers to give skill bonuses, pilot auxiliary ships, and oversee your operations
Explore war-torn star systems
Exploit events to trade goods for profit
Win the favor or scorn of powerful factions
Discover new worlds and salvage lost derelicts
Mod support for diverse user-made content
Claim new worlds, build outposts and industry



Upcoming Features

Determine the fate of the Sector by your actions

What will you discover in the ongoing development of the world of Starsector?

Single player, gritty, dystopian sci-fi setting
Classic top-down gameplay style enhanced by modern technology
A procedurally generated galactic sector seeded with well-known core worlds and factions
Develop your character into a hot-shot pilot, a smuggler, a stern admiral, an industrial magnate – or anything in between
Outfit ships with your weapons of choice and add hull modifications to create devastating tactical combinations
Explore hundreds of locations to find habitable worlds, rich resource deposits, and lost technology
Assemble a large, powerful fleet or a finely-tuned task force with hand-picked officers and crew
Cripple core world supply lines to create easy prey for piracy or bolster the rule of law and try to reverse the Sector's descent into chaos
Survey forgotten worlds and establish new colonies among the ruins
Use lost and forbidden technologies to advance your cause – can you afford to pay for the consequences of your hubris?
Leave your mark upon the world and determine the fate of the Sector with your decisions

The recently released an update:

Starsector version 0.9a is now out! Here are some of the new things you can do in this release:

Establish colonies! Build up industrial production to make a profit, improve your colonies, and protect them from many dangers
Visit a portside bar to find missions and other opportunities
Fight alongside – or against – massive orbital stations
Create your own faction and set up its military doctrine
Find blueprints and use them to let your colonies produce ships, weapons, and fighters
Face enemy ships with dynamically generated weapon loadouts
Discover new dangers and derelicts on the fringes of the Sector
Explore planetary ruins
Raid core worlds for plunder or to disrupt your competition

[FunkMonk]

Starsector owns but I'm terrible at the combat. One of these days I will have time enough to learn it well.

[Zoupa]

Check out Avorion also. Quite polished.

[Josquius]

Has anyone tried Starsector?

http://fractalsoftworks.com/

Current Features

Pilot your ship in top-down 2D combat
Command your fleet in tactical battles
Gain experience to level up your skills
Detailed space combat mechanics
Customize your ship's loadout before battle
Hire officers to give skill bonuses, pilot auxiliary ships, and oversee your operations
Explore war-torn star systems
Exploit events to trade goods for profit
Win the favor or scorn of powerful factions
Discover new worlds and salvage lost derelicts
Mod support for diverse user-made content
Claim new worlds, build outposts and industry



Upcoming Features

Determine the fate of the Sector by your actions

What will you discover in the ongoing development of the world of Starsector?

Single player, gritty, dystopian sci-fi setting
Classic top-down gameplay style enhanced by modern technology
A procedurally generated galactic sector seeded with well-known core worlds and factions
Develop your character into a hot-shot pilot, a smuggler, a stern admiral, an industrial magnate – or anything in between
Outfit ships with your weapons of choice and add hull modifications to create devastating tactical combinations
Explore hundreds of locations to find habitable worlds, rich resource deposits, and lost technology
Assemble a large, powerful fleet or a finely-tuned task force with hand-picked officers and crew
Cripple core world supply lines to create easy prey for piracy or bolster the rule of law and try to reverse the Sector's descent into chaos
Survey forgotten worlds and establish new colonies among the ruins
Use lost and forbidden technologies to advance your cause – can you afford to pay for the consequences of your hubris?
Leave your mark upon the world and determine the fate of the Sector with your decisions

The recently released an update:

Starsector version 0.9a is now out! Here are some of the new things you can do in this release:

Establish colonies! Build up industrial production to make a profit, improve your colonies, and protect them from many dangers
Visit a portside bar to find missions and other opportunities
Fight alongside – or against – massive orbital stations
Create your own faction and set up its military doctrine
Find blueprints and use them to let your colonies produce ships, weapons, and fighters
Face enemy ships with dynamically generated weapon loadouts
Discover new dangers and derelicts on the fringes of the Sector
Explore planetary ruins
Raid core worlds for plunder or to disrupt your competition

So its a modern Escape Velocity?
Cool

[Syt]

I picked up Strategic Command WWII: World at War. Just streamed it for about 8 hours. I enjoy it a lot - it's accessible, I would liken it to Panzer General (one unit per hex, movement/attack), with multiple choice and other scripted events, production, research and (very basic) diplomacy layered on top. The map and scale is just big enough to give room to maneuver without being overwhelmed, and browsing through the manual once to understand what some things do gets you going.

I don't mind that some of the war gets abstracted (e.g. invasion of Norway is handled via event that costs production points, similar with the Afrika Korps - you can choose to do it manually, though). You also get some event troops (e.g. Japan gets some invasion troops in April '41). This also means that the game, unlike HoI4, will generally not go too far of the rails.

Damn, the war in China is a slog. It took a while till I had the feeling I had enough armies there; some Chinese units refused to die. I'm not sure if I have enough naval units for the upcoming war with US/UK, though. I also learned to make sure I have enough amphibious transport before invading England. Turns out landing 2 units is not quite enough.

[The Brain]

Anyone play Fap Queen? It's free but I still feel that it's probably not worth it.

[Berkut]

I picked up Strategic Command WWII: World at War. Just streamed it for about 8 hours. I enjoy it a lot - it's accessible, I would liken it to Panzer General (one unit per hex, movement/attack), with multiple choice and other scripted events, production, research and (very basic) diplomacy layered on top. The map and scale is just big enough to give room to maneuver without being overwhelmed, and browsing through the manual once to understand what some things do gets you going.

I don't mind that some of the war gets abstracted (e.g. invasion of Norway is handled via event that costs production points, similar with the Afrika Korps - you can choose to do it manually, though). You also get some event troops (e.g. Japan gets some invasion troops in April '41). This also means that the game, unlike HoI4, will generally not go too far of the rails.

Damn, the war in China is a slog. It took a while till I had the feeling I had enough armies there; some Chinese units refused to die. I'm not sure if I have enough naval units for the upcoming war with US/UK, though. I also learned to make sure I have enough amphibious transport before invading England. Turns out landing 2 units is not quite enough.

I picked this up as well, but have not had a chance to try it yet.

How does the Pacific War play out?

[Syt]

I haven't gotten that far yet. It might be worth checking what event units Japan/US get. One thing I do like is that they added warnings for events that are coming up, and what your options will be. Very convenient for lazy guys like me who don't want to check the manual too much.

Each scenario also comes with strategy guides in PDF format (accessible from within game).

[Syt]

Picked up Crisis in the Kremlin and Ostalgie: The Berlin Wall. The former lets you lead the USSR from 1985 onward and choose a path of reform, or of clamping down on liberalization. The English translation is wonky. Most interaction is through multiple choice events. It's all right for the 7.14 Euros I spent on the complete bundle.

Ostalgie does the same, but for the other Eastern Block countries. You can choose form GDR, Poland, Hungary, Yugoslavia, CSSR, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania to try and stay in power from 1989 till 1992. Comes with soundtrack socialist songs for each country.

Not sure I like how scripted the game felt as GDR. I tried to reform, and people were at 80+% of support, but I still got the waves of refugees in summer (when Hungary opened its borders to Austria), and mass protests in Fall 1989 that led to my demise.

Again, not the deepest of games, and the translation is wonky. But for the price it feels quite all right as a quick diversion.

[Caliga]

Picked up Crisis in the Kremlin

Played that game back in the day.  I remember it being really fun.

[Caliga]

During the Steam Winter Sale I picked up a bunch of old-style adventure games from Wadjet Eye Games.  I had played 'Technobabylon' previously and thought it was great.

A few days ago I beat 'Unavowed' and quite honestly, I think it's one of the best adventure games of all time.

Now I'm playing 'Shardlight' and loving it so far.

[Tonitrus]

From the trailers, to me they kinda look like successors to the 'ol Sierra Online "Quest" games.